How Fast Food Restaurants Can Make Food So Quickly

Contrary to what people may think, fast food restaurants aren't cooking your meal as soon as your order it. Some people may be aware that it's frozen and they just throw it in the fryer, but it's even deeper than that. As a teenager, I worked at McDonald's and was amazed to see just how much food they cook in advance of customers even arriving to the stores. When I worked in fast food, we always got ready for busy times ahead of schedule like an hour before the rush. That's how your food gets to you so fast. It's not magic and it's not random — they're just really prepared.

In a sense it's a good thing because when you're dealing with a spot as popular as Mickey D's, us workers would be furious to get an influx of customers that we'd never be able to keep up with if everything was fresh off the griddle. And when you consider the hype when new fast food items hit the menu and everyone wants to try them, it really gets crazy. On the flip side, sometimes it was kind of ridiculous, and a massive waste of food. 

That being said, most of the food is already prepped or at least halfway done before you even walk in. They use a griddle that cooks some 20 burgers at once, and now they're just sitting in a tray waiting for a bun. You can drop a ton of fries in the huge fryer baskets, and then all they have to do is scoop it out from beneath a heat lamp and send you on your way.

Fast food kitchens run like a well-oiled machine. Somebody's grilling, somebody's assembling, and somebody's bagging. Each person is doing one job quickly and passing it down the line. That way, no one's holding anything up and the food keeps flowing.

The only thing that makes it kind of tricky sometimes is when people start going crazy with the food hacks, mixing and matching all types of crazy combos that workers may not be familiar with. Otherwise, it's like clockwork. It's not about being a master chef, it's about doing your part, doing it fast, and getting it out the door. Because the setup is so simple, they can train people quickly and still keep up with the lunch rush; which, trust me, is the worst time of day to satisfy your fast food itch.

They also don't rely on memory. Everything's got a timer or a cheat sheet. Chicken nuggets or strips... there's a timer for that. Fries... timer for that too. Burgers... definitely a timer for those. Workers follow the steps, flip things when they're told, and move on. If there's no one waiting at the end of the line, the food gets slid into a warmer. That's where it stays until someone orders it.

I remember when I worked at McDonald's, I thought it was low-key gross that we had food sitting there for so long. In my mind, it's just getting stale and old. I do get the efficiency aspect of it, but still. Fries, nuggets, patties, even breakfast sandwiches — they're all waiting in line, just like you are. Not made fresh, just finished.